November 10, 2007

eBook Review: "How To Keep Your Boss From Sinking Your Project"

Richard KuperThe Kuper Reporthttp://TheKuperReport.com

Don't let the title of this eBook by Andrew Stellman and Jennifer Greene scare you off if you think you have a great boss. Perhaps a more accurate title for this would have been the title of the first chapter: "Why Do Projects Fail?" The authors succintly get to the heart of the matter about why projects fail and what you can do to help reduce the chances of project failure and to help prevent your boss from being part of the problem. The chapter titles tell you what you will learn:

* Why do Project Fail? * Set Expectations Early and Keep Them Up to Date * Make an Informed Selection of a Software Process * Keep Your Manager Involved with the Project * Make Intelligent Course Corrections * Alter Your Tactics, but Stay True to Your Strategy

The authors seem to target programmers as the intended audience, but in this writer's opinion this is a handy guide for all members of a project team.

I had the honor of meeting the authors recently when they presented essentially this material at a meeting of the New York City Software Process Improvement Network. They gave an interesting and lively presentation and there was some good back and forth discussion about process and project management. If you missed that event, or even if you attended it, this eBook makes a nice supplement. I recommend it for anyone involved in a project.

You can purchase it directly from the publisher's (O'Reilly) website for only $7.99.